Top Mistakes to Avoid When You Are Focusing on Building Lean Muscle Mass

Top Mistakes to Avoid When You Are Focusing on Building Lean Muscle Mass

Unfortunately, what you may be doing before, during, and after exercising could be negating all the positive actions and leaving you disappointed and frustrated at your lack of progress in building muscle. According to experts, apart from the wrong exercises, your social life, and personal habits may also be responsible for sabotaging your efforts to build mass. Some pointers:

Not Doing the Basic Exercises

There is a common tendency among those lifting weights for building muscle to only focus on certain isolation exercises like leg extensions and chest flies to add muscle bulk. However, they seem to forget that basic exercises like squats and bench presses involve several muscles and impose more body stress so that the muscle gain is actually bigger. As a result of the stress, more growth hormones are produced by the pituitary gland that helps the bulking process.

Despite the need for variation, you should never stop doing the basic exercises in favor of isolation exercises. Ensure that of all the exercises in your routine, at least 40-50% is compound exercises involving multiple muscle groups.

Playing Active Sports

This may seem strange to many people but playing a sport may actually slow down your muscle building. This is because your muscles are not getting the sort of rest that they should be getting after you have played a sport and exercised. Typically, if your muscles are not able to get a 48-hour period of rest, the calories are burned more for meeting the energy demands, not building muscle mass. If you want to find out how much you are being affected, limit your cardio to not more than 20 minutes for three days in a week.

If you are able to complete more reps or even lift more weight in a period of 2-3 weeks, you should limit your sporting activities to give a boost to muscle growth. Try out a steroid supplement to aid mass acquisition.

Smoking and Drinking

While everyone knows how bad smoking is for health, it is less known that strength training can also be severely affected as your muscles get less oxygen due to the presence of carbon monoxide in your blood. The lack of adequate oxygen limits the ability of muscles to contract and the muscles become weaker.

Alcohol results in more fat being deposited on the abs and also interfere with muscle-building hormones. Testosterone levels also dip and prevent muscles from being built. Quit smoking and give yourself a psychological boost by exercising more. Limit your alcohol intake to a moderate level to prevent any impact on the level of testosterone.

Conclusion

Your ability to build muscle mass may be severely compromised if you neglect to eat immediately after working out. Failing to have protein and carbs in the 30-minute window after exercising can make your body break down muscles for energy. Also, make sure that you stay hydrated very well, eat more frequently to keep the energy levels high, and get adequate sleep at night so that the muscles can recover and rebuild themselves.

Author Bio: Alex Wentworth owns a gym that is very popular with young executives and professionals. His advice for faster muscle building is to focus on the right exercises, ensure a calorie surplus, and take a good quality steroid.

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CBD For Weight Loss

Obesity is an ever growing epidemic and with it comes countless deteriorative consequences. Let’s make one thing clear; everyone should love every inch of their body. All the curves, flaccidity or firmness. One can look beautifully thick and have an impeccable health. By now, we should know all bodies work differently. However, the rising obesity epidemic comes accompanied with rising diabetes, heart disease, and higher cancer risks. Unfortunately, there’s no way around that.

If you’re in this peculiar situation and have tried everything on the internet in the hopes of helping you beat obesity; we hear you and we’re here for you. Thankfully, researchers have been very busy. The controversial and often notorious cannabis plant could be the answer. Or rather CBD (cannabidiol), an active ingredient present in the cannabis plant.

Are we saying you need to get high to trim down? Not necessarily but if you want to try, be our guest. Let us know how that goes.

If you don’t feel like smoking a Jay, you can use CBD for weight loss without ever getting high.

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol is a compound in the marijuana plant. Unlike THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) which is also found in marijuana, CBD doesn’t have any psychoactive effects. The Weed you see across all the media or Seth Rogen movies, usually contains a much higher concentration of THC than CBD.

CBD products contain little to zero THC. Industrial hemp is often grown to contain more CBD than THC and the CBD is then extracted for products.

When you want to buy a CBD product, do your research to make sure the manufacturer and supplier are reputable (some poor quality products contain heavy metals). Also,do us a favor and double check the THC concentration. High-quality brands will indicate whether or not they include THC and the amount of concentration in it.

How Can CBD Help for Weight Loss?

Still feeling a bit starstruck? “This too good to be true”.

Fortunately, unlike most new diets, this one is actually true.

Let’s take a look at how exactly CBD can help with weight loss:

Suppresses Appetite

There is a study in the Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology done in 2010 in which they compared the effects of high THC: low CBD cannabis strains vs high CBD: low THC cannabis strains. One thing they noticed was that instead of causing the munchies, the high CBD: low THC strains actually blunted the users’ appetites.

Converts White Fat to Brown Fat

Let’s start with the facts: You have two different types of fat in your body, White Fat and Brown Fat. We don’t mean subcutaneous (under the skin) fat and visceral (around the organs) fat. White fat is the more abundant fat in your body. When you gain weight, this is the type of fat that is accumulating in your body.

Brown fat usually sits between our shoulder blades and helps to keep us warm and also burns calories, unlike white fat. Here is a 2016 study explaining how CBD converts white fat into brown/beige fat. It’s all a little complicated, but the gist of it is that it starts to change the genes and proteins in a way that starts to brown the white fat.

CBD capsules: If you don’t want either of the above options, taking a capsule is easy.

Dosage

The dosage is unique for every person. It’s suggested to start at a low dose, as low as 5mg, and then you can work your way up. When scientists and medical professionals test whether CBD helps for certain diseases, such as schizophrenia and epilepsy, they sometimes use doses over 1000mg.

This amount may be excessive for general everyday use. Most people don’t need a dose nearly as high as that. Most people will see the benefit at 50mg, some will need more, and others might need less.

In other words, take your time to find the dosage that works for you. The products will have a recommended dose. If you are uncertain, stick to that.

Are There Side Effects?

At doses below 100mg, there usually are none. Although rare, the large doses that are used in the medical trials, may cause side effects like diarrhea, feeling tired, and sometimes changes in their weight (both up and down) and appetite, according to some people.

If you start at a low dose and work your way up slowly to about 50mg, your body will generally have time to adjust without noticeable side effects. Just remember that everyone is different, so don’t try to force your body to take a higher dose if a lower dose works perfectly fine.

Drug Interactions

If you are on any medication, be sure to speak to your doctor first to be on the safe side. Cannabidiol can make the body process medication differently by making them less efficient or even increasing their effects.

Will CBD Test Positive on Drug Tests?

No. Drug tests look for THC and since CBD products don’t generally contain any; you will not test positive. Yes, you can relax.

What About the Law?

In the states where weed is legal, there will be no problem. CBD products are not generally considered illegal due to the lack of THC, but some people have experienced their parcels being confiscated as they go through customs or other channels of delivery. So be sure to check the laws in your particular state and/or get them from a physical store.

Slimming down can be hard but not impossible. Living a healthy life is not for a size sake; it’s for your wellness. It’s about loving yourself and taking the time to learn your body and providing it what it needs. Eat healthy foods, be sure to exercise, and why not try boosting your efforts with CBD oil. It won’t hurt. Just bear in mind that it’s not a miracle solution but nothing really is. It will make it a little easier though and isn’t that what we’re all looking for? A little help. It will still take time, but be consistent and don’t give up or put yourself down. You will see results. Ask anyone that was once in your situation and were able to power through it; it’s possible.

If you are doing everything right and still see no difference after a few months, go see your doctor. Thyroid problems and diabetes can be to blame. The correct treatment should sort it out.

Have you tried CBD products for weight loss? Will you try it? Let us in on the details, we want to know.

GHD Machine Vs Rowing Machine – Which One Should You Use?

GHD machines and rowing machines are often the most ignored pieces of equipment found in the gym. But did you know that these machines can provide a great full body workout?

The reason you don’t find many people using them is the often the lack of knowledge on how to use them, and the misunderstandings about the risk of injury.

Let’s be honest here. Many pieces of equipment are used more than the others just because of their popularity rather than superiority. Putting that aside, let’s focus on why you should be using GHD and rowing machines.

GHD Machine

GHD machine also known as the glute-hamstring developer is used to perform workouts that target glutes and hamstrings along with your core and lower back. It also trains your mind-muscle connection and ability to do high-intensity controlled movements.

GHD strengthens your overall lower body, as well as your ability to perform major compound movements like squats and deadlifts.

Many people talk about the risk of injury when using this machine, but that is true for any equipment if not used properly. In fact, if you learn to use it, it will actually save you from leg and back injuries.

The major GHD exercises you must include in your workout are:

1. The GHD Sit Up

To perform this exercise, sit on the curved seating part of the machine while keeping your feet pressing against the footplate. Make sure you don’t sit exactly on top of the curved seat. Your hips should be slightly hanging down and knees slightly bent.

Go back until your body is parallel to the ground, then come up while keeping your back straight.

2. The Glute Hamstring Raise

In this exercise, your knees are resting against the curved seat (and not on the seat) and feet locked in the ankle lock.

In starting position your body is perpendicular to the ground. Start coming down keeping your back straight and muscles squeezed. Here you are facing the ground instead of facing up as in the sit up.

When your body is parallel to the ground, come back up.

3. The Hip Extension

For hip extension, lie on the machine facing the ground. Your feet are on the footplate and your body’s midsection is resting on the curved seat.

You start the movement with your body parallel to the ground. Go down till 60 to 70-degree angle (not complete perpendicular) and then come back up, keeping your back straight and glutes squeezed.

While doing the above exercises, keep in mind that your back should be straight throughout the movement and you are performing it correctly. Take the help of a trainer if you are a beginner.

Rowing Machine

Rowing machine provides a full body workout with variations in intensity. It works both the upper body and the lower body muscle groups during the complete row movement. Again, proper form and intensity are a must to reap the most benefits and prevent injury.

It gives you a great warmup before performing high strength or high-intensity exercises. But in itself, the rowing machine can give you a complete workout if you are short of time.

Include these rowing exercises in your routine for great results:

1. Simple Rows

Simple rows are a great way to start your workout, giving you a good warmup to your overall body.

Sit on the machine with your feet on the foothold. Your knees should be bent and your back should be straight. Grab the handle with your hands.

Go back using your legs and keeping your arms straight. When your legs are fully straight, you pull the handle with your arms to your torso.

Finding the Overall Best Power Rack on Today’s Market

What can I say, I love to work out and weightlifting is my favorite by far. I enjoy pushing my body to the limit when it comes to strength training. Over the years I have discovered that using a power rack allows me to achieve greater goals in the world of weightlifting. Often I find myself lifting weights alone where using a good quality power rack makes sense, allowing everything to flow much smoother and safer.

Power racks are great for strength training, powerlifting, exercise variety or anyone who lifts weights alone. I do my weightlifting early in the morning sometimes beginning before the sun is up. This means I am usually lifting alone. Therefore, I always do my training on a good quality power rack.

Over the years I have had the opportunity of lifting on a variety of different power racks. I am often asked which power rack is the best or which power rack has the best features. I always tell everyone there are many different brands with a wide variety of different features available. There are really too many to name all of them. So to avoid any confusion I decided to create my own summary that includes some research and my hands-on experience. This has allowed me to narrow the list down to the 3 best power racks on the market.

Body-Solid GPR378 Pro Power Rack

I discovered the Body-Solid Pro Power Rack GPR378 to be a solid structure capable of handling any workout no matter how enormous. It is a solid piece of equipment constructed of 11-Gauge steel with an electro-statically applied powder coat finish that for preventing damage such as chipping or scratches even during the most barbaric workouts. The Body Solid GPR378 is made of industrial strength steel and hardware and has all 4 sides welded construction throughout.

The GPR378 has an optional lat attachment, dip attachment and weight stack. The lat and dip attachment can both be used for a variety of different strength and bodybuilding exercises. This power rack includes an extra wide built-in chinning bar and is designed for use with all types of free weight benches.

Pros:

Heavy-Duty 11-gauge steel construction

Large 800 lb. weight capacity

Extra-wide walk-in design

20 adjustment levels

3” x 3” vertical support columns

41-inch-wide knurled chinning bar

Attachments for optional lat bar and dip bar

Attachment for optional weight stack

Commercial rated with lifetime warranty

Cons:

Optional weight stack is only 210 lbs.

Bottom crossbar may interfere when un-racking when doing squats

I tried the Body-Solid Pro Power Rack GPR378 and found it to be unmatched as a solid and versatile piece of equipment for working out

Rogue R-4 Power Rack

When visiting a friend recently I had the privilege of doing an entire 2 weeks of lifting using the Rogue R-4 Power Rack. I found it to be an exceptional piece of equipment when speaking of quality and versatility. It has 2” x 3” heavy-duty 11-gauge steel uprights. The Rogue R-4 is constructed of heavy gauge American steel and hardware throughout. With the Rogue R-4 every weld and laser cut is individually checked by certified inspectors to ensure the integrity of the equipment. The entire unit has a powder coat finish to resist any chips or scratches during those intense workouts.

Pros:

Constructed of heavy-duty 11-gauge steel uprights

High-quality American made steel and hardware throughout

High-quality powder coat finish

Lifetime warranty

Made in the U.S.A.

Large 43” inside rack dimension

Westside hole pattern

2 pull up bars

Dip station

Cons:

No numbering on the adjustment holes

Unit requires bolting to the floor for maximum rigidity

Overall I found the Rogue R-4 to be a versatile and well-built piece of equipment for a heavy workout and definitely one of the 3 best power racks on the market.

Titan T2 Power Rack

I wanted to include the Titan T2 Power Rack in the top 3 due to its basic design and high-quality construction combination which make it really attractive to many weightlifters like myself.

The Titan T2 Power Rack has 2” x 2” steel tubes with a 700 lb. capacity. It also boasts 1” solid steel j-hooks. There is a 1-1/4” chin-up bar. A pair of lift-offs is included.

Pros:

2” x 2” steel construction

Compact design

Easy assembly

1” solid steel j-hooks

Cons:

Not suitable for tall people

I found this to be a great power rack with plenty of quality and features for most weightlifting.

No matter what type of weightlifting you routinely do, you can find one of these 3 best power racks on the market will meet your needs.